6/28/2012

Low Country Boil

For for the final installment of this past Sunday dinner menu, I give you the main event. I grew up eating a variety of seafood boils. Shrimp in the Carolinas and crawfish in Louisiana. There isn't one that is alike in every way, but they are all mighty tasty. I can't get my hands on live crawfish in this neck of the woods, but I can find some decent shrimp (wish they had heads on), other shellfish, and of course, that Midwest corn.

I reckon many of you will be getting together with family, friends and neighbors this weekend and next week to celebrate the Fourth of July. Hamburgers, hotdogs, and other grilled items are great standards, but why not change it up? Throw a big ole pot on the stove or on a burner in the backyard and have a go at this grab, peel and eat meal.

Although it is a boil, I prefer to boil just the potatoes and sausage while simply steaming the other components. This intensifies the flavor of the broth, a.k.a. pot likker, which becomes a pool of flavor goodness to drag those hushpuppies through☺. You can change the amount of any of the foods or even change some of the ingredients to suit your taste. Add a lobster, a crab or two, or throw in some more veggies--- just remember to add them according to cooking times. Overdone seafood and raw potatoes are not good eatin'. Serve with your favorite cocktail sauce and/or garlic butter and dig in!

Oh, and what's up with the Sunday dinner tablecloth?? I like to maintain the tradition of serving it on newspaper, but not directly on it. As I said before, I like to serve the pot likker as well. The newspaper still makes for easy clean-up after this grab, dip, peel and eat meal.

In a very large dutch oven or stock pot, bring the beer, onion, water, bay leaves, lemon, Old Bay seasoning, and salt to a boil. Reduce the heat to a medium simmer and add the potatoes. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add the sausage and corn and cook for another 10 minutes, or until the potatoes can easily be pierced with a knife, the corn is cooked, and the sausage is warmed through. Add the shrimp and the clams, cover and cook until the shrimp are pink and the clams have opened, another 3-4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the onions, potatoes, sausage, corn, shrimp, and clams to a large platter. Ladle the broth over the meat and vegetables. Enjoy!

I actually made this dish for Father's day. Both my father and my husband are big shrimp fans. Alas, up here in the Northern Iowa, we can't get much FRESH seafood, so I didn't add the clams (or any other mollusks)but it was just wonderful. Thanks so much for sharing, and since I will be down in Des Moines this weekend, I'm thinking I may be able to find clams and or crayfish!! Yay-probably be making it again.

We love your post and we have included it in a roundup of Southern traditions. We have linked back to your post so that our followers can check it out. Here it is: http://belleandbeauantiquarian.blogspot.com/2012/11/10-southern-traditions-that-yall-should.html